


Out of the box

by flowersaretarts



Category: Doctor Who, Withnail & I (1986)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-22 21:40:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4851461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowersaretarts/pseuds/flowersaretarts





	Out of the box

The Doctor was feeling unusual. This telephone box started giving him claustrophobia. Too small on the inside. And red?  
No, everything around him was so unnervingly wrong he shut his eyes in hope the mess will sort out itself.

He took a couple of deep breaths, then slowly peeked at the world. The world hasn't changed, the mess was still there, and the worst of all, those long sad beeps flying out of the telephone. He furiously hang it up, slammed the door and walked away up the road under the drizzling rain. 

The Doctor was mumbling something to himself. His black coat was soaked and partially torn. The TARDIS spat him out in rage and wasn't willing to respond to his calls.  
The TARDIS hated him, that was clear as a day. It was not happy with his appearance, his brand new attitude or his clothes choice.

He sighed and sat on the stone wall by the gate with a sign "Shut this gate". He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice a man in front of him.

"Sir, are you alright?"

The young type with a sweet smile on his face. Not farmer, thought the Doctor. Round reading glasses and a silly cap which didn’t quite match his long leather overcoat. Looking concerned and eager to help.

"Excuse me...Oh"

He gasped when he saw the Doctor's face closely.

"Vyv… Uncanny, it can’t be!"

The Doctor asked, slightly annoyed:

"Do I remind you of someone? I am afraid you are terribly wrong. I have never been here before. And I wouldn't be, if..."

The throbbing headache made him stop and clutch his temples.

"It’s alright, I apologise. I mistook you for someone else..."

The young man suddenly looked bleaker as he spoke. The rain started falling on their heads.  
"Oh, bugger!" said the young man, which made the Doctor cringe. He resented swearing words, especially coming out of beings who looked too lovely to produce such filth.   
The young man noticed it and blushed. He always did when someone seemingly superior was disapproving his behaviour. And this gentleman on the wall was a true gentleman, no other word.

"There is no need for profanities. And do you have a name, I can't keep calling you "hey", can I."

"It's Marwood, sir. Peter Marwood." Said the young man lifting his shabby cap.

"You're a good man, Peter Marwood. Do not curse."

The boy blushed harder.

"It is getting wet, why don't you follow me? I am in the cottage nearby with my friend Mike"

"Is he the one i remind you of?'

"No... That one remained in London...never mind him."

But the shadow of gloom ran across his sweet face.

The Doctor climbed down and let Peter lead him through the fields.   
Despite the drizzling rain, he suddenly felt certain relief, like the presence of this boy made it brighter. His eyes were large and blue, the ones you won't usually see on grown-ups.  
And he smiled so tenderly, spoke in a soothing voice. After the painful regeneration, after being comatose and rejected, having this short walk under the unmistakably English rain was a bliss.

"There it ... Oh, Christ Almighty , what's that!! "

Peter stopped pointing at the building down between the hills

The metallic saucer was hovering over an old cottage, otherwise the picture looked normal.  
Something twinged inside The Doctor’s head.  
His memory was not restored fully yet but one thing he knew: if you see the saucer, you would soon hear…

“EX - TER - MI – NATE!”

"Peter, run!"

He grabbed the man's sleeve dragging him back into field

"What is it, what! Aah!" Gasped the boy when the ray came out from the saucer turning an old cottage into a blast of fire.

"My friend is in there!"

"It's too late, Peter! run!"

"No."

The Doctor had no other choice but grab the resisting man and throw him over his shoulder.

"Silly boy, they will burn you alive"

Peter cried behind his back.

"It’s gonna be alright”, said the Doctor legging it faster, feeling the tin dustbins behind them.

"Doc-tor!"

He let the boy down and now was leading him, without resistance

The ground behind them was exploding.

“Doc - Tor!”

The rays were burning holes in the ground, as the two men ran.

The old girl was there... On the hill, safe and sound. But will she let him in?

"Now, old girl, please, I will personally scrub your floors, I will let you redesign the console yourself. Don't be harsh on me now!”

Peter was panting right behind him, trembling with terror, listening to this madman talking to the telephone box and begging it to open the door.

Smelled his sweat

And he never wanted anything more than protecting this boy from the danger

But then the miracle happened

The door opened letting them both in. They stumbled, tripped over and fell with a thud, both of them. They laughed, laughed loudly, smiled at each other.

Doctor jumped on his feet and ran to the console.

"Hold on tight, Peter! We are taking off!"

“Hold onto what?” shouted back the boy.

"Onto me!"

And the Doctor pulled the lever and turned the switches on, while two arms were wrapped around him from behind.

He felt like he was ready to roam the universe, go anywhere, break every rule, with this beautiful creature by his side he was sure he would never feel lonely

But as they flew through the vortex the Tardis started misbehaving.

The Doctor read the red line on the screen

"Paradox detected, caution!"

"What is going on with you, old girl?

Then there was another thud.

"Peter!"

The boy fainted, collapsed right next to him. The Doctor took his head in his lap.

The boys lips were moving.

"Who... Where am I… Who am I? I don't know, I can't remember!

Vyv, Vyv, help me!”

He seemed to have a feverish nightmare

The Doctor was confused and prepared to fight ( a newly discovered habit)

Oh, Rassilon, let him be one of my companions, let him be just a boy, don't tell me he is...

"Yes!" Shouted the boy in his trance. "I know! I remember!"

He stopped. His breath became slow and steady. The Doctor stroke his face, his long brown curls... The curls he used to have… slightly shorter than his, the Doctor’s, when he was...

"Where are you, Vyv? Why ... I can't remember!”

Come on, old girl, do your best!

The Doctor pulled Peter closer to the console. Attached two telepathic wires to his temples, connecting him to the Tardis’ matrix. The boy moaned.

"Charley, please, not like this. Don't get in there, Lucy. Oh, Fitz, why now! Of course we go to Vienna, Mary.... Charley, Charley please kill me Charley!”

His body was shaking as if it was galvanized; he kept saying nonsense... which was gradually becoming sensible to the Doctor. He knew those names. He couldn't chase away the terrible thought...

"Hello, Doctor", said the man who called himself Peter. He rose up and they both were sitting on the floor staring in each other with pain and utter despair.

They both understood the consequences of them being both present in the same time and space. The law of universe itself is against them...

The Doctor clutched his hair, roaring in anger, hitting the floor with his fist.

The hand stopped him, stroking him softly.

"One of us must leave" said the Doctor nervously pulling his own hair. "She hates me...the old girl. I am the wrong one. The waste of a regeneration... You must stay.

You are ...worth the best, the billion times more places to see, a new life, form the scratch."

The other Doctor put his hands on his shoulders

"Nonsense. She'll get over it. Give her some time. Look at me now. Into my eyes."

Those sad ancient eyes.

"I have lived hundreds of years, met most amazing people and I never regret anything that happened to me. No matter how heavy my losses were...I love it. I loved it. You must go on. It's your time to shine. Follow me"

He led the Doctor to the panoramic window.

"The birth of the new star. The supernova. This is what you are. Go with it. Good luck, dear Doctor.”

He embraced the man, wrapping his hands around his thin body and holding him tight. The man who fell in love with him at the first sight and he couldn't be with for the weirdest reason in the universe.

"I won't let you go..."

"The old girl has prepared everything for you.”

The Doctor started fading, becoming transparent.

"No, no, please, don’t.”

"The Doctor is dead, long live the Doctor!", smiled the man, his kind blue eyes shining at the crying Doctor, who was catching the air in vain.  
He leaned on the Tardis console swallowing his tears.  
The ship was peaceful and placid, harmony returned to its every dimension.

The Doctor was sitting there for countless hours, apathetic, numb. He was about to get up and go for the door, when he saw something flickering in the air above him, something small and fragile.  
He raised his hand to reach for it. Opened his palm… And there it was, the true miracle. The best message he could dream of. There it was, a beauty, a bringer of hope.

A blue butterfly.


End file.
